Grace Fellowship Church Pastor/Teacher Jim Rickard Sunday, January 1, 2012

Reaching forward to what lies ahead! Phil 3:13

Isa 43:25, “I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” Cf. Heb 8:12; 10:17-18.

Heb 10:17-18, “And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” 18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.”

Jesus was the perfect offering for all of our sins and no offerings, no works, no penance or any such thing is needed for the forgiveness of our sins and for God to forget our sins.

God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of our sins to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual growth for our future.

Eccl 3:15, “That which is has been already and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by.”

God allows us to remember our past sins and failures to protect us from having a very shallow security in the present.

God never wants you to be ashamed! Phil 1:20-21

We will feel very ashamed if we do not yield to Jesus, the areas of our lives He has asked us to yield to Him (our sins, failures, worldliness, etc.).

Eccl 3:15, “God seeks what has passed by”, is speaking of our personal victories in time, based on His all sufficient grace, that He knew about in eternity past.

Your victories, like your sin, have been provided for from eternity past in His grace, (by means of His Son, Word and Spirit).

Sometimes it is a crisis in our lives that is needed to develop the same attitude that was in Paul.

Endeavor to give over to Christ in times of gentle nudging, and if a crisis has come to you, surrender your will to Jesus absolutely and irrevocably.

God has your front and back covered, Isa 52:12, “But you will not go out in haste, nor will you go as fugitives; for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.”

God has security for today. “You will not go out in haste …” (i.e., impetuous, forgetful delight, or the quickness of impulsive thoughtlessness.)

God has security for tomorrow. “the Lord will go before you.” He will provide you with every resource necessary to be an overcomer in everything that you face going forward.

2 Cor 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ Jesus (and they are), he is a new (spiritual) species. The old things have lost their power; behold, new things have come.”

The New Spiritual Species (TNSS) is created by the baptism of the Spirit at salvation.

TNSS is forever protected from liability at the last judgment; you cannot lose your salvation, Rom 8:1.

TNSS possesses eternal life, 1 John 5:11 ‑ 12.

TNSS possesses a double Divine righteousness: the righteousness of God the Father, Rom 3:22, and the righteousness we share with Jesus Christ, 1 Cor 1:30.

TNSS has an inheritance protected by the omnipotence of God. 1 Peter 1:5, “We are guarded by the omnipotence of God through faith at the moment of salvation.”

God has provided everything necessary for you to be victorious in time, as He desires you to be, so that you can press on, Phil 3:12-16.

Grace Offering

Grace Fellowship Church Sunday, January 1, 2012 Tape # Reaching Forward to What Lies Ahead! Phil 1:20; 3:12-16; Isa 43:25; Eccl 3:15; Heb 8:12; 10:17-18 James H. Rickard Bible Ministries 2012